My dog gets excited by her new toys, but then she destroys them. Why does she do this?

My husband loves reading and listening to music, but dislikes golf. If I were to give him a set of clubs as a gift, I know the clubs would never see the outside of the bag they arrived in. This happens to dogs all the time. People look at them as cookie-cutter animals, and think that "all dogs love ______." Not true! Simply put, your dog is unique. Think tough toys for tough dogs, mentally stimulating toys for clever dogs, and food-driven toys for the foodie-dogs in your life. Let's start with the tough guys. Galileo bones, Orka Jack, Kong toys, Tire Biters, and indestructible plastic balls, which are tested on elephants, are some of your best bets. Cutesy-pie stuffed toys will be dismembered the minute you take them out of the bag, so avoid them at all costs. Dogs driven by food rewards, and clever dogs who get quickly bored with nylon bones or squeaky toys, need challenging toys that have a payoff: Buster Cube, Orka Tube, a Kong filled with peanut butter and frozen, or an Everlasting Treat Ball. These require the dog to solve a puzzle in order to get to the treat inside. Does your living room floor resemble the toy aisle at Petco? If the answer is yes, pick up all but three or four of the toys and put the rest away. Every week, exchange the existing toys for three or four new ones. And yes, if your dog has a favorite, it can stay out full-time — this isn't meant to be Draconian, it's meant to keep him interested and excited.